Globally, preeclampsia (PE) and other hypertensive disorders of pregnancy are a leading cause of maternal and infant illness and death. By conservative estimates, these disorders are responsible for 76,000 maternal and 500,000 infant deaths each year, from 7-8% of all pregnancies. Typically, preeclampsia is diagnosed in the late 2nd or 3rd trimesters, after 20 weeks gestation, though its pathogenisis may occur earlier. Preeclampsia, HELLP Syndrome and eclampsia are manifestations of the same syndrome. Id. PE presents with maternal symptoms of global endothelial disease, including glomeruloendotheliosis, liver and cerebral vascularitis. It occurs only during pregnancy and the postpartum period and affects both the mother and the unborn baby. It is a rapidly progressive condition characterized by high blood pressure (>140) and the presence of proteinuria (>0.3 gm/ml) and general edema. Swelling, sudden weight gain, headaches and changes in vision can also be symptomatic. However, some women with rapidly advancing disease report few symptoms. It is believed to be a systemic disorder associated with a cascade of events and symptoms, including impaired trophoblast invasion, decreased placental perfusion, placental ischemia, oxidative stress and imbalance in angiogenic and prothrombotic factors which can lead to apoptosis of trophoblasts.(1-4) Studies have also reported that in preeclampsia, there are elevated levels of circulating or placental TNFα, IL-6, IL-8, IFNγ, leptin, a perturbed renin angiotensin system, complement split products, antibodies to phospholipids, sFlt-1, soluble endoglin, IL-12, decreased IL-10, NO, and hypoxia(5-13) amongst a host of other factors. Uteroplacental abnormalities can result in shallow placentation, poor spiral artery remodeling and placental ischemia. PE is believed to be a placental condition which resolves after pregnancy terminates/delivery.
Efforts have been made to provide assays for the diagnosis of PE. Numerous assays employ identification and/or measurement of various biochemical markers such as specific protein or nucleic acids in maternal samples.14 Of these types of assays, noteworthy are those suggesting the use of transthyretin (hereinafter “TTR,” formerly called prealbumin)) as a biomarker.15 
In some instances of PE, labor is induced if the fetus has reached a gestational age of at least 37 weeks. If the pregnancy is premature, treatment focuses on allowing the fetus to mature as much as possible before inducing labor and avoiding progression of the disease and/or complications by close patient monitoring either by hospitalization or in an outpatient setting. The health of the mother is constantly weighed against the health of the fetus and labor induced when one or both are in danger of dying. In some cases, the fetus must be delivered immediately, regardless of gestational age, to save the mother's and/or fetus' lives.
A pharmaceutical composition for therapeutic intervention in PE and PE-type disorders would be a significant improvement in treatment.